Bringing People Home: Suitability Study for an Ecological and Agricultural Community

Bringing People Home Suitability Study for an Ecological and Agricultural Community Prepared for The Farm School, Athol, MA

Willie Gregg | Sierra McCartney | Becca Robbins The Conway School | Spring 2013

Index of Sheets Project Scope …….............................. 1 Community Needs and Interest ….... 2 Existing Conditions …........................ 3 Views …............................................. 4 Access and Circulation ….................. 5 Zoning and APR …............................. 6 Utilities ….......................................... 7 Siting a Home …................................ 8 Hydrology ........................................ 9 Slopes …............................................ 10 Soils …............................................... 11 Prime Forest ….................................. 12 Summary Analysis …......................... 13 Design Alternatives …....................... 14 - 17 Final Design …................................... 18 Final Design and Precedents …......... 19 Legal and Cost Estimates ................. 20 Construction Details ........................ 21 Plant Palette …....................................22

To the south, the second property Sentinel Elm Farm, hosts short-term children’s programs. School groups, often from the Boston area, stay overnight at the Farm School and participate in daily farm chores such as milking cows and harvesting vegetables. There are also summer camps for fifth to tenth graders who participate in the same activities.

Children unload from school buses at Sentinel Elm Farm to participate in a three-day farming experience.

W. Gregg | S. McCartney | B. Robbins The Conway School Graduate Program in Sustainable Landscape Planning and Design | Conway, MA | Spring 2013 Suitability Study for an Ecological and Agricultural Community The Farm School | Athol, MA

Currently the Farm School owns two non-adjacent properties. To the north is Maggie’s Farm, which hosts a one-year adult farming program. Here fifteen adults learn farming skills and sustainable agricultural methods, and manage a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) operation. At Maggie’s Farm there is also a retrofitted chicken coop serving as a oneroom middle school for local children. The curriculum includes all subjects, and is centered around principles such as “interacting with the world from a place of kindness and generosity.”

The Farm School is not looking to expand on the programming they offer. However, the Rowe property, which connects their program hubs, has become available for purchase, and the Farm School sees value in buying the land and putting it under permanent protection. To be in a financial position to purchase the land, the Farm School is considering putting an agriculturally focused housing community on the property. They have entered and option-to-purchase agreement with the Rowe property owners, and have hired the Conway School to assess the land and determine the feasibility of siting homes on the property.

Bringing People Home

For twenty-four years, the Farm School has offered experience-based educational programs that give people the opportunity to learn how to become stewards of the land. The non-profit organization gives children and adults the experience of life on a farm, and connects them to the kinds of plants and animals that sustain their daily life.

MAGGIE’S FARM

The Rowe Property

The Farm TheSchool vision community for the Rowe envisions property is to build permanently protecting the Rowe property a five-home, low-impact, agriculturally-foused for agricultural use,onand housing community themaking land. it feasible by adding a low-impact, agriculturally-focused housing community of four to five homes on the land.

Staff members could buy, build equity in, and eventually choose to sell the proposed homes.

This would give long-standing and committed members the opportunity to upgrade from their current housing, some of which does not have running water. Small lot sizes would result in lower property taxes than conventional lots, making housing more affordable for potential buyers. While this development would require a small portion of the land to be subdivided, the Farm School would continue to have access to and use the Rowe property for agricultural purposes, and homeowners would be granted access to designated workable fields. The Farm School would benefit from creating

permanent staff housing by gaining long-term, committed employees and strengthening the roots of their community.

These lots would be open for purchase to the public, but staff and community members would be given the first opportunity to buy a lot and build a home.

A home owner’s agreement would clearly state what is permitted within the housing community and surrounding property.

Creating a housing community on the Rowe property would allow staff members to live within walking distance of their work, give a few graduating adult farming students the opportunity to buy an affordable home and have access to workable farmland in a resource-rich environment, and allow people outside of the Farm School community to buy and live in an agriculturally focused hamlet, and be able to have a connection to their food source without having to participate in daily farming activities.

SENTINEL ELM FARM

PROJECT SCOPE

project vision

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the farm school

The director of Maggie’s Farm is interested in buying the Rowe property house for his family to live in, and the Farm School would like to make the cabin available to a long-time employee as part of her retirement. If community members are to live in the existing homes, it will be important to incorporate their spaces into the larger housing community design, and create a functional relationship between the existing and proposed homes.

When siting new homes, it will also be important to maintain private spaces behind the existing house and cabin because their front yards are close to Sentinel Elm Road and in the public view, leaving their backyards as residents’ only private space.

The program director at Maggie’s Farm has interest in buying the existing house on the Rowe property.

The Farm School would like to make the existing cabin available to a long-time employee.

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• • • • • • • •

Maintain existing views, especially along Sentinel Elm Road Create a family-friendly environment Create connectivity to existing properties Conserve land Create a small housing footprint Create privacy Create communal spaces Make housing affordable Be able to access farmable land

W. Gregg | S. McCartney | B. Robbins The Conway School Graduate Program in Sustainable Landscape Planning and Design | Conway, MA | Spring 2013

•

Bringing People Home

conservation maintain existing views

private spaces

Community members want privacy but also want a common place to gather.

views from inside homes

Stakeholders want to preserve surrounding natural vistas from development but want to see the views from inside their homes.

At a meeting facilitated by the Conway School team, community members voiced what was important to them in a new housing community.

The objectives identified were:

interest in existing housing

development

The Farm School values the conservation of land but wants to develop a small housing community.

For the project to be successful, the design of the housing community must meet the Farm School community’s values and social needs. It must maintain the views community members are most attached to while also creating views from the new homes, create private space for each home while also creating a public gathering space for all of the homes, and balance development and conservation by clustering the development and conserving the remaining land.

public spaces

Potential homeowners within the Farm School community are also interested in the project because they would like the design of the housing community to meet their needs. Staff members work closely together during the day and want to be able to retreat to their individual private spaces at home, but it is also important for them to have a common area to interact and gather.

Staff members have indicated the need for clear structure and guidance as far as defining what is shared and what is private in term of not only spaces within the community, but also resources like tools and equipment. The Farm School can incorporate a home owner’s agreement with guidelines to differentiate common and private use of land and resources.

COMMUNITY NEEDS AND INTEREST

Community members are interested in the housing community project because the Rowe property is part of their daily lives. The property sits between The Farm School parcels, and community members pass it often as they travel between Sentinel Elm Farm and Maggie’s Farm. As they pass the Rowe property, many appreciate the views of open pasture land, orchards, and the hilltops and mountain range to the east. Some community members have also grown attached to parts of the Rowe property such as the open field on the ridge line, and they want to maintain the experience of being in and passing through open farmland.

Suitability Study for an Ecological and Agricultural Community The Farm School | Athol, MA

community values and social needs

An early successional forest dominated by large and small white pine trees, covers much of the property. Many maple, oak, and hemlock are found throughout. Among other species, much of the understory is highbush and lowbush blueberry bushes, mountain woodfern, and partridgeberry.

Fire Pond

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There are three wetlands on site, one of which feeds a manmade fire pond adjacent to Sentinel Elm Road.

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1 3

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Two mature apple orchards can be found on the Rowe property, one on each parcel. The trees bear fruit but do not produce their maximum yield due to lack of pruning.

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The property has vehicular access by way of two rarely used dirt roads. Sentinel Elm Road divides the Rowe property and Brooks Road runs along the east side.

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A white pine plantation has been planted in rows in the southwestern corner of the property. A combination of dense planting and a thick layer of pine needles keeps sunlight from the ground below, causing a lack of understory.

Historically the vegetation from this plot supplied a nearby paper mill which is no longer in business.

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Two cleared paths are currently used as farm roads from Sentinel Elm Road to the open fields to the west.

Suitability Study for an Ecological and Agricultural Community The Farm School | Athol, MA

Farm School livestock is rotationally grazed on swaths of open land on both parcels.

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3

Bringing People Home

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4

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7 4 7

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Barn and Garage Farmhouse

2 Cottage

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Three structures currently stand on the site: an old barn with an attached two car garage, a large farmhouse built in the 1700s, and an old cottage in disrepair. These buildings stand in a row along Sentinel Elm Road.

EXISTING CONDITIONS

The Rowe property is situated on the ridge of West Pequioag Hill, and is divided by Sentinel Elm Road into two separate parcels, totaling just under 92 acres. The western parcel is 76.3 acres, the eastern is 15.6 acres.

W. Gregg | S. McCartney | B. Robbins The Conway School Graduate Program in Sustainable Landscape Planning and Design | Conway, MA | Spring 2013

existing conditions

1 could be negatively impacted if they saw residential housing developments instead. When siting a housing community on the Rowe property it is important to protect this view north from Sentinel Elm Farm.

Suitability Study for an Ecological and Agricultural Community The Farm School | Athol, MA

When children in a Farm School program look north from Sentinel Elm Farm they see an expansive view of open pasture land leading up to a tree-lined ridge top. Their experience on the farm is enriched by having surrounding views of open farmland, and

2 fields; other community members feel that the space is too special to develop. Much of the Rowe property contains spaces and views that community members are attached to and do not want to see altered with a housing community.

Bringing People Home

From the west side of the upper field on the Rowe property, looking east to an open field, one thousand feet from the road and enclosed by trees.

Some community members envision this space as the location for an agriculturally focused housing community with homes surrounding productive

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VIEWS

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3 A mature apple orchard behind the existing main house provides a private space for the residents. This private backyard space is important because the front of the house is close to Sentinel Elm Road and is in

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the public view. If homes are sited near the orchard, a private space behind the existing house should be maintained.

4 Looking east from the driveway of the existing house is an expansive view of open pasture land, orchard trees, and a mountain range in the distance.

Community members love this view, and see it often

as they travel down Sentinel Elm Road between the Farm School properties. It is important to maintain this view to the east.

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W. Gregg | S. McCartney | B. Robbins The Conway School Graduate Program in Sustainable Landscape Planning and Design | Conway, MA | Spring 2013

views

ACCESS and CIRCULATION Sentinel Elm Road is an inviting dirt road that connects The Farm School properties and is well traveled by Farm School community members.

Movable electric fencing allows The Farm School to practice rotational grazing and keep their pastures healthy.

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Bringing People Home

In addition to roads, there is an off-road walking path that connects Sentinel Elm Farm with the Rowe property, and a ridge line trail on the Rowe property that connects the upper field to Sentinel Elm Road.

These paths and trails are used infrequently by community members as the Farm School does not own the property.

Purchasing the Rowe property could allow The Farm School to create an off-road connection between its properties, which may benefit community members by giving them a trail that could provide an enhanced recreational experience. Purchasing the Rowe property would also ensure that the Farm School has connecting pasture land between their properties, making it easier to carry out rotational grazing by keeping the cows off the road. The Farm School currently uses the Rowe property for pasture, but if the property falls into new hands, it is uncertain if the school would be able to continue grazing cattle on the land.

Suitability Study for an Ecological and Agricultural Community The Farm School | Athol, MA

Sentinel Elm Road connects Sentinel Elm Farm and Maggie’s Farm, and is the route most frequently traveled by the Farm School community. Moore Hill Road is also well traveled by community members as it leads to the village of Athol, a little over a mile away, where groceries, supplies, and services can be obtained.

From Athol, community members can connect with Route 2 to reach surrounding towns. Brooks Road and North Orange Road are used less often but provide more direct access to the Maggie’s Farm property.

W. Gregg | S. McCartney | B. Robbins The Conway School Graduate Program in Sustainable Landscape Planning and Design | Conway, MA | Spring 2013

access and circulation

Connecting Preserved Lands

The Farm School’s Sentinel Elm Farm and Maggie’s Farm are both participating in the APR program.

Placing an APR on the Rowe property would connect these protected agricultural lands, and make the Farm School the largest holder of contiguous APR land in the state. In protecting a large swath of farmland, the Farm School would also help create a more food secure future for the surrounding towns.

The Rowe property has been approved for an APR, and a preliminary area has been delineated for a housing development. This outline may be adjusted until finalized, but once the restriction is in place, non-agricultural development may not occur in this area.

Pictured on the right is an example of what a traditional zoning build-out would look like on the Rowe property. Six homes can legally be sited on the eastern parcel, and the western parcel shows lots drawn for the existing farmhouse and cabin, and five additional lots and homes.

open space development bylaw

• 10,000 square feet lot size (nearly a quarter acre).

• Fifty feet of frontage on an existing road or approved private way.

• Two parking spaces per unit.

• Thirty-five-foot setbacks from the road.

• Twenty-foot setbacks from neighboring lots.

• Thirty-five percent total land conservation.

If the development is not along an existing road, a private roadway must be created, which makes the development a subdivision and requires following subdivision regulations.

Regulatory Process

An Open Space Development requires a special permitting process with the Orange planning board.

A public hearing is required, as well as the submittal

of documents requiring the certification of a licensed professional, such as an architect, landscape architect, or a land surveyor. A survey at two-foot contours and detailed plans for the entire proposed development must be submitted.

Maximum Allowed Number of Houses

ZONING and APR

The Town of Orange is aware of the negative impacts of traditional zoning requirements, and has developed an Open Space Development bylaw that permits houses to be built closer together, which preserves open space. The Orange Open Space Development bylaw requires a minimum of:

The Open Space bylaw dictates the maximum number of houses permitted on the property. To calculate this number, ten percent of the total land area is subtracted from the total acreage of the property for roads and drainage. Wetlands, currently protected land, and slopes over twenty-five percent are also subtracted from the total acreage of the property. This number is then divided by the open space lot size, which is 10,000 square feet, for the total number of houses allowed.

For example, the eastern Rowe parcel is 15.6 acres.

Ten percent of the total land is 1.6 acres and its total wetland area is approximately 1.2 acres. There is no currently protected land or areas with slopes over twenty-five percent. After subtracting 1.6 acres and 1.2 acres from the total acreage, the result is 12.8 acres. After dividing 12.8 acres by the lot size, the result is six houses permitted on the parcel, one more than the Farm School seeks to build.

If the Farm School puts land on the Rowe property under an APR, it will connect the protected agricultural land on their currently owned properties, and the Farm School would be the largest holder of contiguous APR land in the state of Massachusetts. The Farm School’s APR land on their northern property also connects to Conservation Restriction Land showing the large stretch of contiguous protected land in the area.

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The main purpose of putting a housing community on the Rowe property, is to make it feasible for the Farm School to purchase and put the land under permanent protection. Putting land under the state’s Agricultural Preservation Restriction program (APR) pays landowners the difference between fair market value, and the agricultural value of the land.

It ensures that the land is permanently protected for agricultural use and protects it from future development.

W. Gregg | S. McCartney | B. Robbins The Conway School Graduate Program in Sustainable Landscape Planning and Design | Conway, MA | Spring 2013

Bringing People Home

The siting of homes in the proposed new housing community must meet local zoning regulations.

The Rowe property is located in the town of Orange and is zoned rural residential, which requires each house to have a minimum of a two-acre lot with two-hundred feet of frontage on an existing road or approved private way. Following conventional zoning regulations would have a large impact on the land: with two-acre lots, homes would be spread out on the Rowe property, putting a larger area of land under development. The cost of the homes would also be greater due to the increase in infrastructure, as each home would require a separate driveway and separate utilities.

Suitability Study for an Ecological and Agricultural Community The Farm School | Athol, MA

agricultural preservation restriction (apr)

zoning

Water Well

50 ft away: - Septic Tanks - Livestock Yards - Silos - Leach Fields 100 ft away: - Petroleum Tanks - Liquid-tight Manure Storage

Existing Well

The EPA recommends ample water well distance from potentially contaminating activity.

End of Above-Ground Power Lines

250 ft away: - Manure Stacks

septic systems

power lines On the Rowe property, utility poles end about 200 feet south of the existing home and underground lines extend to the house. Hooking new homes up to the grid would require the extension of these lines.

An above-ground power line would extend along Sentinel Elm Road which would alter the beloved view to the east. A buried utility line would cost more to install because of the extra labor for excavation, but would be hidden from view. It would also require a smaller right-of-way zone and be less vulnerable to weather-related damage.

Extending above-ground power lines would negatively impact views along Sentinel Elm Road.

Shared septic systems decrease the amount of space necessary for leach fields and the costs of materials, excavation, and construction. Assuming two to four people are living in each of the five homes, with a fine sandy loam soil (averaging a percolation rate of three gallons per square foot), a shared system for

five homes would decrease the overall leach field size by 33%. Because this estimate is based on soil profiles, it is important (and legally necessary) to have a percolation test done to determine an actual site’s septic suitability.

A single 1-2 bedroom home requires around 250 ft² for a leach field. If each home had their own septic system, the total leach field area would be about 1250 ft², more than for a shared system.

The required size of a leach field shared by five 1-2 bedroom houses is 833 ft².

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The town of Orange does not dictate particular distances from these activities, but the EPA recommends space as shown in the graphic below.

Given the limiting factors in siting a drilling location, it would be advantageous for the community to share a water well. This would allow more flexibility in the siting of a leach field, grazing areas and other agricultural uses.

UTILITIES

The proposed housing community needs access to water. Before a new well can be drilled, information about bedrock, water table depth, and recharge capabilities must be known. Wells must be sited an appropriate distance from potentially contaminating land uses such as septic systems, manure stacks, and fuel storage.

Suitability Study for an Ecological and Agricultural Community The Farm School | Athol, MA

safely discharge wastewater through a septic system, source water from a town supply or private well, and source electricity from the grid or an off-the-grid source.

Bringing People Home

Clustering homes in the housing community creates an opportunity for shared utilities which reduces infrastructure costs. The Town of Orange dictates that each home within an Open Space Development must have equal access to utilities and be able to

W. Gregg | S. McCartney | B. Robbins The Conway School Graduate Program in Sustainable Landscape Planning and Design | Conway, MA | Spring 2013

water wells

utilities

A well-sited home can provide comfort, protection from adverse weather, and provide energy savings. Each house has a relationship to the land and is affected by its positioning on the landscape, the topography, the underlying soils, its relationship to the prevailing winds, and its orientation to the sun.

Siting the homes well on the Rowe property will determine the success of the potential housing community project. It will affect the initial implementation cost of the project with factors such as the length and grade of the driveway, as well as the long term cost of the project with factors such as the orientation of the homes and their energy efficiency. The siting of the homes and the design of comfortable outdoor microclimates will also affect the interaction between people and the amount of time residents spend outdoors as well as their comfort and energy usage indoors.

SOLAR ORIENTATION

WIND BREAK

N

W

S Deep, stable, well-draining soils are best suited for development. Poorly draining soils can cause pooling around foundations and wet basements. A high water table limits the location of leach fields and may make a basement unfeasible.

A tree wind-break on the northwest side of the house protects the house from cold, northwest winter winds.

Taking advantage of topography and using vegetation to guide air movement helps extend the comfortable outdoor season by facilitating cooling breezes in the summer and shielding against bitter gusts in winter.

E

15˚

S

15˚

SITING A HOME

SOIL

A house should be sited so that water drains away from the structure on 2-15% slopes. Water can start to pool on slopes less than 2%, and slopes greater than 15% are less accessible and increase construction costs.

Bringing People Home

In New England a house sited mid-slope is protected from ridgetop winds, and valley frost and flooding.

House sited within 15 degrees of south.

A south-facing house takes advantage of passive solar gain increasing energy efficiency. Maximizing exposure to winter sun allows the thermal mass in the home to absorb more heat, decreasing the need for a heat source.

South-facing homes also let in more natural light and use less electricity for lighting. The solar gain a house receives decreases as a home’s orientation is rotated away from true south. A good goal to set is keeping the homes orientation within fifteen degrees east or west of south.

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W. Gregg | S. McCartney | B. Robbins The Conway School Graduate Program in Sustainable Landscape Planning and Design | Conway, MA | Spring 2013

SLOPE

LANDSCAPE POSITION

Suitability Study for an Ecological and Agricultural Community The Farm School | Athol, MA

siting a home

HYDROLOGY

Rowe Property

R

IVE

SR LER

L

MI

ATHOL

Good land management practices on The Farm School properties are important as the water flows into three separate watersheds, two of which feed an aquifer which is the town of Athol’s drinking water.

The north part of the orchard, farm road, and areas to the north are consistently wet.

A wetlands expert should be consulted to determine if there are legally protected wetlands.

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Suitability Study for an Ecological and Agricultural Community The Farm School | Athol, MA

Additionally, drainage flows down the hillside, through the orchard behind the farmhouse and the existing farm road toward the wetland. These areas are consistently wet, sometimes with standing water.

Bringing People Home

In addition to wetlands, a pond with a perennial outlet stream flows north on the northeast end of the property. It is a man-made fire pond and contains a concrete dam on the north end with a small outlet.

The protected areas reduce the amount of build-able land on the Rowe property. They also limit access to the property from Brooks Road and the northeastern section of Sentinel Elm Road, as building a driveway across the protected areas is costly and would require a permit. While the property’s hydrology restricts development, it also presents opportunities.

The fire pond may be a viable resource for irrigating agricultural fields, and the wetlands create a potential educational resource for the Farm School programs.

e

The ecological significance of the wetlands, streams, and pond make them valuable resources and they are protected under Massachusetts law. The pond and perennial stream are protected with a twohundred-foot River Resource Area, and the wetlands and intermittent streams are protected with a one-hundred-foot buffer. Activities in these areas that negatively impact the water resources, such as logging or building structures, are prohibited.

e Lin Ridg

Three wetlands on the property play a vital role in ecosystem health. After a rain or snow melt event, water runs quickly down the ridge. Before moving into the streams, some of the water is captured by wetlands, where it slows down, allowing nutrients and contaminants to filter out. The filtration of water is significant, because the water on the property flows into three separate watersheds, and runoff from the property affects a large area.

All three watersheds; the West Branch, Tully River, and Poor Farm, flow into the Millers River, which carries the water west to the Connecticut River.

Water connects the larger biological community, and land management practices that cause water contamination on the property could affect plant and animal species, people included, as far away as the mouth of the Connecticut River. The West Branch and Tully River watersheds also supply a medium-yield aquifer that is the source of water for the town of Athol, bringing the importance of keeping good water quality on the property closer to home.

W. Gregg | S. McCartney | B. Robbins The Conway School Graduate Program in Sustainable Landscape Planning and Design | Conway, MA | Spring 2013

hydrology

soil and plants are able to retain more moisture than south-facing areas.

Homes built on the north side of the property would not take advantage of passive solar gain and would generate less energy from solar panels. The exterior spaces outside of the homes would also likely be uncomfortable for more months of the year, which could result in the inhabitants of the homes spending less time outside.

NORTH

Bringing People Home

North-facing slopes are also not advantageous to build on. In New England north-facing slopes are typically colder than south-facing slopes because the sun hits the south face, casting shadows on the north. The shadows decrease the light and warmth on north-facing slopes, but with less evaporation, the

Suitability Study for an Ecological and Agricultural Community The Farm School | Athol, MA

Slopes greater than 15% are more expensive to build on and may restrict development on the north and southeast ends of the property. Slopes greater than 10%, located in these same areas, also increase the cost of building a driveway and maintaining it in the future, and create further constraints for building in these areas. In addition, building infrastructure on steeper slopes can increase erosion and sediment runoff, which can negatively impact water resources.

SOUTH

The cold microclimate and lack of solar gain makes it undesirable to build a house on a north-facing slope.

SLOPES

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A three-dimensional model of the Farm School properties highlights the ridge and shows the slope of the property of interest losing elevation in a northeast direction.

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The Rowe property sits on a ridge with two high points at an elevation of 944 feet, giving the property attractive ridge-top views where the land is cleared, and the potential to harness renewable wind energy. The lowest point on the property sits on the southeast end at an elevation of 846 feet, and is an area susceptible to flooding during storms. The total elevation loss from the highest to the lowest point is 98 feet. The top of the ridge contains some of the flattest areas on the property. Other flat areas (2-5% slope) are found west of Sentinel Elm Road. The steepest slopes, greater than 15%, are located on the north side of the ridge and along the southeast side of the property.

W. Gregg | S. McCartney | B. Robbins The Conway School Graduate Program in Sustainable Landscape Planning and Design | Conway, MA | Spring 2013

SLOPES

The soils on the property greatly restrict development. Soils unsuitable for development and prime farmland soils contain the greatest constraints, making it advantageous to consider development on soils of statewide importance.

Grazing

Pine Rows

ORANGE

Grazing

ATHOL

The villages of Orange and Athol have been built on prime farmland, making it important to protect the remaining agricultural soils.

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Much of the remaining soil on the property, is deemed unsuitable for agriculture or development.

These soils either have shallow bedrock and a high water table, or they are mucky and saturated with water. These characteristics prohibit the installation of a septic system and require structures to be built on posts, increasing cost.

SOILS

On the property, most prime farmland is cleared and may be converted to agricultural use with little investment or land preparation, and some of the areas are already being used by The Farm School for pasture. The remaining prime farmland, however, contains a two-acre white pine pulp plantation stand that would take a greater investment to clear and

In addition to prime farmland, about two-thirds of the remaining property contains soils of statewide importance. These areas, when prepared for farming and properly managed, can produce crop yields close to that of prime farmland soils. The farmland of statewide importance on the southern end of the property is cleared and currently used by the Farm School for cow pasture and rotational grazing. The farmland of statewide importance on the northern end of the property, however, is densely forested and may be expensive to convert to agricultural use.

Suitability Study for an Ecological and Agricultural Community The Farm School | Athol, MA

The characteristics that make prime farmland suitable for agriculture also make it well suited for development, and historically it has been built on.

Both Orange and Athol’s town centers are built on prime farmland, making it important to protect the remaining undeveloped agricultural soils in the area to increase the region’s food security.

prepare for agriculture. These trees could be sold for timber or used as building material. The plantation lacks species diversity and provides little habitat for wildlife.

Bringing People Home

Much of the soil on the Rowe property is well suited for agriculture. 11.5 acres of prime agricultural soils can be found in the southern half of the property. Designated by the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), prime farmland is land that has soil suitable to produce sustained high-yield crops. Specific soil characteristics include adequate moisture content, an acceptable level of acidity or alkalinity, an acceptable level of sodium, low erodability, low water inundation, and few to no rocks. Other land considerations include a favorable climate and growing season, protection from frequent flooding, and a reliable and adequate source of water through either precipitation or irrigation.

W. Gregg | S. McCartney | B. Robbins The Conway School Graduate Program in Sustainable Landscape Planning and Design | Conway, MA | Spring 2013

SOILS

ATHOL Pine Rows

PRIME FOREST

Rowe Property

The prime forest on the property is part of a larger swath of prime forest. This large tract of healthy forest provides valuable habitat for wildlife and supports plant species diversity.

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In addition, the prime forest provides valuable habitat for wildlife. It is part of a larger continuous forest, providing wildlife corridors and habitat for species needing large intact interior forest, areas which are increasingly threatened with development.

The habitat value and value to the residents of the potential housing community make an argument for leaving the prime forest intact and managing it with sustainable forestry practices.

Bringing People Home

The prime forest on the property provides a valuable resource for the proposed housing community. If homes in the development are built with lumber from the forest, the impacts of construction could be reduced. If harvested sustainably, the forest may also be able to provide a renewable heat source for

the homes as well as an additional source of revenue from sustainably harvested forest.

Suitability Study for an Ecological and Agricultural Community The Farm School | Athol, MA

About half of the sixty acre forest on the northwest side of the property is considered prime forest. The forest was evaluated by the Department of Natural Resources Conservation at the University of Massachusetts to determine forest productivity of white pines and red oaks for forestry. Prime forest areas were delineated by using soil data, slope aspect and position, and land cover. This rough approximation and lack of on-site analysis explains why the pulp plantation has a prime forest designation.

W. Gregg | S. McCartney | B. Robbins The Conway School Graduate Program in Sustainable Landscape Planning and Design | Conway, MA | Spring 2013

PRIME FOREST

Problematic wet area

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Orchard Courtyard

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Agricultural Community

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Woodland Solitude

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Attached at the Barn

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Final Design

SUMMARY ANALYSIS

Favorite view from Sentinel Elm Road

DESIGN ALTERNATIVES

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The following alternative designs are sited within the light gray areas. The strengths and challenges within each design come from their location on the property which determines the developments distance from the existing road and utilities affecting the housing communities overall cost. Their location also affects development suitability with differing on-site ground conditions, and affects community members’ views from Sentinel Elm Road and the entire Rowe property. In addition to location, the strengths and challenges of each design come from the spatial arrangement of the homes which affect residents’ public and private spaces.

Bringing People Home

The summary of these environmental analyses directs where development should be placed, which is in the lighter gray areas with the fewest

constraints. However, this summary does not include additional considerations such as maintaining views community members are attached to, and on the ground site observations such as the drainage challenges on the northern existing farm road, and on the south side of the orchard behind the farmhouse.

Suitability Study for an Ecological and Agricultural Community The Farm School | Athol, MA

The land has many constraints that limit where a housing community might be built. Not all constraints, however, carry equal weight. For example, some legal restrictions prohibit construction in certain areas, while steep slopes may be built on, but only at great expense and with increased environmental damage. The map to the right shows the combined constraints for development on the site. Black indicates areas where development is legally restricted due to protected water resources.

Dark gray signifies areas where development is legally permitted, but not optimal due to significant constraints such as a north-facing slope, slopes greater than fifteen percent, prime agricultural soils, and soils unsuitable for development. Medium gray represents prime forest which has less constraints to build on, and light gray represents soils of statewide importance which carry the fewest constraints.

W. Gregg | S. McCartney | B. Robbins The Conway School Graduate Program in Sustainable Landscape Planning and Design | Conway, MA | Spring 2013

summary analysis of development constraints

• Shared utilities, infrastructure, and resources offer greater affordability.

• Parking 90’ from Sentinel Elm Road.

• Underground power line ends at existing farmhouse only needing 100 additional feet of wiring to nearest proposed home.

• Homes are oriented facing south maximizing solar gain.

DESIGN CHALLENGES • Minimum privacy for both new and existing homes.

Suitability Study for an Ecological and Agricultural Community The Farm School | Athol, MA

1

• Three homes to the south have direct access to agricultural fields, all houses within 200’ of larger fields.

Orchard Courtyard creates public space in the area directly behind the existing farmhouse.

Barn

• Residents have to walk 120 to 240 feet from the parking area to their homes.

Bringing People Home

• Leach field must be sited to preserve orchard tree roots.

d Farm Roa

• North side of orchard and northern farm road are frequently wet due to water draining off the ridge and sinking into the low area before being carried into the wetland to the north.

Sentinel Elm

Farmhouse

Orchard

Road

Parking

Looking south from the orchard, three houses are placed close together with some vegetation buffering the views between the houses.

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• Development is clustered preserving open space.

Parking

Parking is in two locations decreasing the walking distance to each home, and it is set back from the road and concealed by the existing barn and vegetation to maintain the Sentinel Elm Road experience. Parking is also removed from the courtyard making the common green space for pedestrians, and two existing farm roads on either side of the housing community provide greater access to each home when needed. Stone walls surround each home delineating a private space where residents can find solitude, and the existing house has a greater courtyard private space because its front yard abuts Sentinel Elm Road. Homes on the southern side of the courtyard have direct access to agricultural fields, and all homes have a south-facing orientation to maximize solar gain.

DESIGN STRENGTHS

design alternative 1 ORCHARD COURTYARD

Inspired by pocket neighborhoods, this design places homes around a common courtyard creating an inviting space for neighbors to gather, and for children to play safely with their parents reassured that they are being looked after by the entire neighborhood. The new homes are also integrated into the orchard and tucked behind the existing farmhouse decreasing their visibility, and maintaining community members’ experience of moving through open farmland while traveling along Sentinel Elm Road.

W. Gregg | S. McCartney | B. Robbins The Conway School Graduate Program in Sustainable Landscape Planning and Design | Conway, MA | Spring 2013

design alternative 1 - orchard courtyard

DESIGN STRENGTHS

While the housing community takes advantage of prime farmland soils on the ridgeline, its remote location increases infrastructure costs, and separates it from the road and surrounding neighbors, creating a feeling of having an entirely separate community.

• Residents have to walk 120 to 200 feet to their homes from the parking area.

• Development is clustered preserving open space.

• Shared utilities, infrastructure, and resources reduce cost.

• Homes are oriented to the south to capture solar gain. Homes on the ends of the horseshoe, however, are oriented more than fifteen degrees off of true south and would require a change in orientation to maximize solar gain.

• Homes have views and direct access to agricultural fields.

Suitability Study for an Ecological and Agricultural Community The Farm School | Athol, MA

DESIGN CHALLENGES • 1,000 foot driveway from road creates additional road expense and land impact.

• Privacy is limited around the homes except in the secluded backyards.

Parking

• Farm road is frequently wet and would require a greater gravel depth increasing its construction cost. Maintaining the road in the future may also be more expensive with drainage issues and saturated soils.

Barn

Bringing People Home

Agricultural Community places the houses around the open agricultural fields.

design alternative 2 AGRICULTURAL Community

• Utility power line is more than 1000’ feet away and would be expensive to trench underground to the housing community.

A common building and barn is in the center of houses around agricultural fields

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Agricultural Fields

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Inspired by the idea of creating a new model for housing developments, and placing homes around productive agricultural fields instead of golf courses, this design arranges homes in a horseshoe ring on the upper field giving residents direct access to and views of the prime farmland soils and proposed agricultural fields. Houses are clustered close together to create a sense of community, and each home is oriented to the south to capture solar gain. A shared common house, barn, and greenhouse stand in the center of the community creating a social hub and space for neighbors to gather. The common structures also allow residents to share resources and lower their materials and infrastructure costs.

Stone walls give the community a New England character and create private spaces on the south side of the homes which then lead into secluded woodland clearings in residents’ backyards. Parking is placed behind the barn concealing it from the community and creating a walkable pedestrian space around the homes.

W. Gregg | S. McCartney | B. Robbins The Conway School Graduate Program in Sustainable Landscape Planning and Design | Conway, MA | Spring 2013

design alternative 2 - agricultural community

• Far from end of utility power line (closest house about 450 feet) • Increased construction cost from clearing trees and removing rocks.

• Development is 100 feet from a wetland and clearing trees and could increase the volume of water running into the wetland.

Woodland solitude provides private spaces away from the road and existing houses, each house has its own driveway and attached garage.

• Farm road is frequently wet and drains poorly increasing construction and maintenance costs.

• Homes do not have direct access to agricultural fields.

Houses with attached garages

• Forest conceals housing community from surrounding views, lowering the development’s visual impact on the land.

Driveway

• Privacy is maximized for each home.

Farmhouse

A forest buffer between each house increases privacy.

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Barn

Farm Road

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• 300 foot road plus 90 to 240 foot separate driveways.

WOODLAND SOLITUDE

• High infrastructure and future maintenance costs with separate driveways and utilities.

Sentinel Elm Road

• Development is placed in an area that community members are less attached to.

3

DESIGN CHALLENGES

Suitability Study for an Ecological and Agricultural Community The Farm School | Athol, MA

DESIGN STRENGTHS

• Homes are oriented facing south, and clearings in the forest allow them to obtain solar gain.

Bringing People Home

The existing farm road is utilized to access the homes, and separate driveways branch off of it leading to an attached garage which creates easy access into the home. Separate driveways maintain privacy for each home, but increase the infrastructure cost and the future maintenance costs. Each house also requires separate utilities which increases infrastructure costs further. The design discourages social interaction, and overall, mimics traditional suburban housing developments.

• Easy access to the homes is provided with attached garages.

design alternative 3

Openings are carved out of the forest to provide secluded sites for homes, maximizing privacy for residents. The forest provides a buildable area that community members are less attached to, which protects the views and places on the rest of the property that community members love. The forest also conceals the homes from Sentinel Elm Road and the upper field, lessening the housing community’s visual impact on the land. Building into the forest, however, requires clearing trees and removing large rocks which increases the cost of construction.

W. Gregg | S. McCartney | B. Robbins The Conway School Graduate Program in Sustainable Landscape Planning and Design | Conway, MA | Spring 2013

design alternative 3 - woodland solitude

• About 330 foot driveway.

• Homes are oriented facing south maximizing solar gain.

• Homes have direct access to agricultural fields.

4

• Attached structures increase legal considerations.

• Smells will reach the homes if the barns are used for livestock.

• Homes sit at the base of a north -east-sloping hill. The hill creates a beautiful space to pass through, but an unsettling space to settle in, as humans feel vulnerable to rain events when a hill slopes towards them. If homes were sited here they would need grading changes to provide positive drainage.

In this design, two houses are attached to a barn or garage space, reducing site impact

el Elm

Sentin

use

o Farmh Road

Parking

Two houses are separated by a shared barn/garage space.

Parking

use House Barn Ho

ATTACHED at the BARN

DESIGN CHALLENGES

Agricultural and Pasture Fields

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• Close proximity to end of utility line (first house about sixty feet).

Suitability Study for an Ecological and Agricultural Community The Farm School | Athol, MA

• Attached housing reduces materials and the building footprint.

• Shared utilities reduce cost.

Bringing People Home

DESIGN STRENGTHS

• New housing is concentrated near existing development, reducing site impact.

design alternative 4

Inspired by traditional New England homesteads, this design attaches structures allowing residents to lower their costs and impact on the land. With a house attached to both sides of a barn, residents can share resources with a common work and storage space, and decrease their housing footprint. Parking is thirty-five feet from the homes making it convenient to unload groceries from the car, but creating a large enough space in front of the homes that does not contain vehicles to create a sense of arrival. The front porch becomes a hub of social interaction with neighbors passing by, and offers a shaded space on the north side of the home for a hot summer afternoon. From the front porch, breaks in the trees offer views into the orchard, a space where kids can play together and where the community can gather. On the south side of the homes the barn extends creating private patio spaces that overlook agricultural fields. Privacy is increased further with a backyard kitchen garden, or fencing trellised with vines that provides a winter coral for small livestock.

W. Gregg | S. McCartney | B. Robbins The Conway School Graduate Program in Sustainable Landscape Planning and Design | Conway, MA | Spring 2013

design alternative 4 - attached at the barn

An additional fifth house to the north is tentatively sited near a historic house footprint.

The house receives little solar gain on north side of tall maple trees, and may require a separate driveway and utilities, increasing cost. The house is separated from the rest of the housing community, possibly appealing to some residents.

4

The common field offers an open space for children in the neighborhood to play while being visible from the porches. The common field provides a space for the entire neighborhood to bring out their lawn chairs and gather around a covered structure.

5

6 Outdoor spaces on the southeast side of each home offer residents privacy. The southeast side of the home has the most comfortable microclimate as well as the most favorable views looking down the ridge to the southeast. Privacy is increased in these spaces with fruit trees and shrubs that wrap around the north side of the home also protecting the

W. Gregg | S. McCartney | B. Robbins The Conway School Graduate Program in Sustainable Landscape Planning and Design | Conway, MA | Spring 2013

Agricultural fields to the south give interested 8 residents the opportunity to make a living from organic farming or to grow more produce for their family. Productive raised beds organize foot traffic around the planting area to prevent soil compaction where plants will be grown, and they follow the contours of the land to prevent soil erosion.

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9 A covered seating area offers a protected space for farm workers to enjoy their lunch and a space for the entire community to gather, including residents from the existing farmhouse and cottage.

DESIGN STRENGTHS

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• Development is placed along the road following historical patterns and minimizing infrastructure.

• Development is clustered, preserving open space, and allowing for shared infrastructure, utilities, and resources.

• Homes are visually discrete from Sentinel Elm Road, tucked into a secluded corner draped with large trees.

• Homes have access to common spaces and agricultural fields.

• Homes have comfortable private outdoor spaces with views.

• Community has increased resiliency and selfsufficiency with a low-maintenance, edible landscape.

• Favorite view from Sentinel Elm Road preserved.

8 9

FINAL DESIGN

Four low-impact, 1200sf homes are spaced 70’ apart to help create privacy and a sense of community. Clustering the homes protects open space and provides the ability to share utilities and infrastructure. Each home is angled fifteen degrees east of south to maximize solar gain and take advantage of the open, framed views to the southeast. Each house is also staggered to the east opening views for all houses, and increasing privacy by limiting views into each other’s windows. While the homes are uniform in orientation and spacing, residents personalize the spaces around their homes bringing life and character to the community. On the west side of each home, 25 feet from the common path, eight-foot wide front porches provide comfortable seating spaces and can be social hubs where neighbors greet each other and gather.

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7 Paths from the private outdoor spaces lead down to a common path running along a vegetated swale that follows the north-south contours of the land and captures storm runoff from the housing community, filtering and slowing it before it reaches the wetland.

Suitability Study for an Ecological and Agricultural Community The Farm School | Athol, MA

Shared storage sheds next to the parking areas give residents a place to store materials and equipment such as wood, canoes, and bikes. Carts are available to wheel groceries home.

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homes from cold, northwest winter winds.

Bringing People Home

Two parking lots serve four residences with 1 two spots per house, shortening the walking distance to each home to about 50’ to 120’. The curve of the driveway creates an entry experience into the housing community. Parked cars are mostly removed from the spaces around the homes to create a pedestrian experience in the community.

The cars are visually buffered from the homes with vegetation.

4

Favorite view from Sentinel Elm Road is preserved

Design Challenges • Soil profile indicates development difficulties farther downslope to the east. If perc tests fail, the housing may need to be closer to the road.

• Housing placed on land with soils of statewide agricultural importance.

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final design - bringing people home

Sentinel Elm Road

Walking Paths Cob Oven Carts can provide residents a way to carry items from the parking areas to their houses, keeping the space around the homes car-free. A common space can include ovens and sheltered gathering spaces

Children’s Play Space

Play Spaces

Glass House Parking Lot

Piles of rocks, downed snags, muddy pockets and bug-filled meadows create a space where kids can use their imagination while learning about the surrounding natural environment.

Permeable Surfaces

Grass pavers and reinforced turf ensure high traffic durability and are able to support emergency vehicles in time of need. They facilitate water drainage and mask a vehicular route. This is an option for the common path from parking areas to the houses for moving heavy items and emergency vehicle use.

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Parking Lot

FINAL DESIGN DETAILS

Precedents

Suitability Study for an Ecological and Agricultural Community The Farm School | Athol, MA

Vegetated Swale

Bringing People Home

Residents all have a beautiful view of the open field and surrounding hillsides to the southeast.

Storage Space

W. Gregg | S. McCartney | B. Robbins The Conway School Graduate Program in Sustainable Landscape Planning and Design | Conway, MA | Spring 2013

View from the site

Farm School owned parking lot

agricultural protection restriction delineation The new housing development is contained within two acres of land on the Rowe property’s eastern parcel. The land to the east of the housing community is within a wetland protection area, and the land to the north is reserved for an additional parcel, and is also under wetland protection. This leaves 8.5 acres of land in the southern part of the parcel available for APR. This southern area includes approximately 1.5 acres of land with prime agricultural soils, and around 2 acres of land with soils of statewide importance. Most of the remaining area is under wetland protection, but because it has been historically used for pasture, The Farm School can continue that usage, and have minimal impact with their rotational grazing practice.

Road, and this area should also be included in the Open Space Development. If The Farm School has a desire for future housing expansion, extra land needs to be separated from potential APR land.

Open Space Development

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Possible septic leach fields

The Farm School should include the existing farmhouse and cottage within the Open Space Development to allow the existing homes to decrease their lot sizes to less than half of an acre, allowing the Farm School to put more land on the rest of the property under an APR. It is also believed that the septic system for the existing house is in an area across from Sentinel Elm

Farm School owned parking lot

cost estimates At this beginning stage of the project, cost estimates are a rough approximation based on speaking with people in the field. The numbers will change based on factors such as differences in material, and labor costs, and The Farm School’s ability to use onsite materials, and in-house labor.

Some basic cost estimates include: • Housing: with modest square footage and architecture, the estimated cost of constructing a house is around $150/sf.

Using lumber from the property can lower this cost.

• Parking, Driveways and Paths: For gravel driveways and parking areas, every square foot of surface area at an 18” depth costs around $4-$5, and $6-$7 at a 24” depth. Parking areas and adjoining entrances have a total surface area of approximately 6,000/sf, which brings the cost to around $27,000-42,000.

• Utilities: Each house needs access to electrical lines which currently end approximately 1000’ from the most northern house. Burring the lines in a 36” deep trench costs around $27-30 per linear foot, bringing the cost upwards of $30,000.

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Alternative septic locations and proposed lot lines

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W. Gregg | S. McCartney | B. Robbins The Conway School Graduate Program in Sustainable Landscape Planning and Design | Conway, MA | Spring 2013

A shared well will need to be sited at least 100’ from the septic field once that location has been determined. Because of the variables with siting the septic and wells, they are not included in the cost estimates below.

Suitability Study for an Ecological and Agricultural Community The Farm School | Athol, MA

Within the lots, various easements may be necessary to separate common-used areas such as pathways, the neighborhood field between the parking lots, and septic fields, from private areas. Easements ensure that one owner does not have control or responsibility over common spaces.

The red ovals represent possible areas for septic leach fields.

The areas suggested are ranked from one to three to provide backup locations if option one does not pass the perk test.

Option one is the closest area for a combined system for all four homes, and it is downslope of the homes allowing the system to be gravity fed. Option two is also downslope of the homes, but is further away requiring more infrastructure with piping. Option three is at a higher elevation than the homes, and would require pumping the water uphill, however, it is the greatest distance from the wetland to the east, and may have more suitable soils than options one and two.

Bringing People Home

The graphic on the right shows one possible way to draw lot lines for the housing community that fit under the Open Space Development rules. Each house has over 10,000 sf, and at least fifty feet of frontage on Sentinel Elm Road.

Each house is also set back more than thirty-five feet from the road, and has more than a twenty foot setback from its neighboring lot. Both of the parking areas are excluded from the individual lots, and are owned and maintaned by the Farm School.

septic options

LEGAL and COST ESTIMATES

lot lines and easements

Ferro cement

Overflow

Chicken wire Galvanized wire

An above-ground ferrocement water catchment tank consists of a steel framework covered with a sand-cement plaster. It is almost as strong and durable as cement, but uses a fraction of the materials making it cost-effective.

Edible vegetated contour swales downslope of the homes help capture stormwater runoff from the structures and infiltrate it into the soil. The vegetation also produces an edible yield allowing residents to increase their self-sufficiency.

Water catchment systems harvest rainwater off roofs decreasing water runoff from the housing community. Water is then stored in cisterns and used on site presenting residents with the opportunity to secure their non-potable water needs in a drought, and lower their water bills. Cisterns can be built above or below ground. With new construction, homes have the opportunity to build underground systems which keep the tank structure out of view and provide increased temperature control. These systems can use electricity for pumping or have a hand pump feature.

final design Construction details

VEGETATION Winter Sun

Mulch

1 inch

6- 8 inches

Graft Union South-Facing Window

1.5- 2 feet

Subsoil The winter sun hits homes at a low thirty degree angle. To maximize solar gain for the homes, the height of vegetation on the south side should decrease in height as it nears the home. The vegetation can be taller due south, but must be cleared further to the east and west.

Bringing People Home

Vegetated swales around the edge of the parking areas capture polluted runoff from the gravel surface in heavy rains, and infiltrate it into the soil. The vegetated swales also visually screen the parked cars from the surrounding housing community.

Suitability Study for an Ecological and Agricultural Community The Farm School | Athol, MA

Outlet and Tap

Topsoil Sod 2- 4 feet

When planting fruit trees dig a hole 1.5 to 2’ deep. Place the unearthed sod face down in the bottom of the hole, as it decomposes it will provide nutrients for the tree. Next layer topsoil and lastly subsoil. Avoid placing mulch into the hole as it can burn the tree roots. Instead layer mulch above ground, and as it decomposes the nutrients will seep into the soil and become available to the tree.

For full sized trees, encourage the tree to become own-rooted and root above the graft union on the cultivar instead of just from the root stalk. To do this, plant the graft union 1 to 2� below the soil. For dwarf trees, do not plant the graft union below the soil. Sprouting roots from the cultivar will negate the dwarfing influence of the root stalk.

Based on recommendation from St. Lawrence nurseries

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Gutter

WATER RUNOFF

W. Gregg | S. McCartney | B. Robbins The Conway School Graduate Program in Sustainable Landscape Planning and Design | Conway, MA | Spring 2013

final design - construction details

Mature Mature Height Height Height 3'-6' 3'-6' 3'-6' 10-12' 10-12' 10-12' 1'-3' 1'-3' 1'-3' 2'-6' 2'-6' 2'-6' 1'-2' 1'-2' 1'-2' 2'-5' 2'-5' 2'-5' 3'-6' 3'-6' 3'-6'

Benefits Benefits Benefits O, W O,WW O, O O OO OW OO, O,W WM O, O, W, O,W, W, O, W, M MM W, W, O MM OO

Notes Notes butterfluies Notes attracts attractsbutterfluies butterfluies attracts fragrent fragrent fragrent

O = ornamental W =wildlife benefits E = edible M = medicinal

resistant to deer browse resistant deer browse coughs, cramps, fevers etc resistant totodeer browse used to treat depression, used to treat depression, coughs,cramps, cramps,fevers feversetc etc used to treat depression, stabalizes stream banks coughs, stabalizesstream streambanks banks stabalizes

Around the Home

These areas have moist to drained soils and lots of sun. Plantings around the house enhance outdoor spaces by providing shade, privacy and aesthetic interest. Food-producing vegetation planted near homes allows for easier maintenance and harvest.

Mature Mature Mature Common Name Scientific Name Soil Type Light Height Benefits Notes Common Name Scientific Name Soil Type Light Height Benefits Notesat 12' when clustered.

Common Scientific Name Soil Light Height Benefits Notes Corylus americana HazelburtName wellType drained sun 25' E stays Corylus americana Hazelburt welldrained drained sun 25' staysatat12' 12'when whenclustered. clustered.

Corylus americana Hazelburt well sun 25' EE stays x Corylus americana x Corylus americana xPyrus Corylus americana Pear Trees communis well drained sun 30' E plant within 20'-25' feet for pollination Pear Trees Pyrus communis well drained sun 30' E plantwithin within 20'-25' feet for forpollination pollination Pear Pyrus communis well sun 30' EE plant PlumTrees Trees Prunus americana welldrained drained sun 15'-20' plant 2-6 in a20'-25' grovefeet Plum Trees Prunus americana well drained sun 15'-20' E plant 2-6 in a grove Plum TreesBlueberry Prunus americana well drained sun 15'-20' EE, O plant 2-6 inpatch? a grove Highbush Vaccinium corymbosum drained/moist sun 6'-12' blueberry Highbush Blueberry Vaccinium corymbosum drained/moist sun 6'-12' E, O blueberry patch?

Highbush Blueberry Vaccinium drained/moist sun 6'-12' E,E,OO, M, W blueberry Lingonberry Vacciniumcorymbosum vitis-idaea moist shade 2"-16" plant 1.5' patch? apart, will fill in Lingonberry Vaccinium vitis-idaea moist shade 2"-16" E, O, M, W plant 1.5' apart,rocks willfill fill Lingonberry Vaccinium vitis-idaea moist shade 2"-16" E,O O, M, W plant apart, will Green Carpet Rupturewort Herniaria glabra drained/moist sun 2"-5" plant1.5' between oninin patio, high traffic durability Green Carpet Rupturewort Herniaria glabra drained/moist sun 2"-5" O plant between rocks onpatio, patio,high hightraffic trafficdurability durability Green Carpet Rupturewort Herniaria glabra drained/moist sun 2"-5" OO plant between rocks on Creeping Phlox moist part shade 6"-10" Phlox stolonifera CreepingPhlox Phlox moist partshade shade 6"-10" O M, E Phloxstolonifera stolonifera Creeping moist part 6"-10" OO, Phlox Wintergreen Gaultheria procumbens dry/moist shade 1'-3' evergreen groundcover Wintergreen Gaultheria procumbens dry/moist shade 1'-3' O, M, E evergreen groundcover Wintergreen Gaultheria procumbens dry/moist shade 1'-3' O, evergreen groundcover Gooseberries Ribes grossularia drained/moist sun 2'-5' E M, E can be trellised for thorny fence Gooseberries Ribes grossularia drained/moist sun 2'-5' E can be trellised forthorny thornyfence fence Gooseberries Ribes grossularia drained/moist sun 2'-5' EO can be trellised for Lilac Syringa vulgaris drained sun 5'-12' fragrent Lilac Syringavulgaris vulgaris drained sun shade 5'-12' O E, W fragrent Lilac Syringa drained sun 5'-12' OM, fragrent American Elderberries Sambucus canadensis drained/moist/wet part 12' edible flowers and berries American Elderberries Sambucus canadensis drained/moist/wet part shade 12' M, E, W edibleflowers flowersand andberries berries American Elderberries Sambucus canadensis drained/moist/wet part shade 12' M, E, W edible Wetland plants withstand temporary inundation due to stormwater runoff. Their roots stabilize stream banks while filtering and slowing water

before it reaches the Millers River. Plants that require moist to wet soils and part shade are beneficial in a dense vegetated wetland buffer.

Common Name CommonName Name Common Serviceberry Serviceberry Serviceberry Beardtongue Beardtongue Beardtongue Silky Dogwood Silky Dogwood Silky Dogwood Red Osier Dogwood Red Osier Red Osier Dogwood ButtonbushDogwood Buttonbush Buttonbush Southern Arrowwood Southern Arrowwood Southern SpicebushArrowwood Spicebush Spicebush Wild Bergamot WildBergamot Bergamot Wild Basket Willow Basket Willow Basket Willow Creeping Red Fescue Creeping RedFescue Fescue Creeping Red Swamp Milkweed Swamp Milkweed Swamp Milkweed Grey Dogwood GreyDogwood Dogwood Grey Swamp Azalea Swamp Azalea Swamp Azalea Cranberry CranberryBlueberry Cranberry Lowbush LowbushBlueberry Blueberry Lowbush

Scientific Name ScientificName Namecanadensis Scientific Amenchlachier Amenchlachier canadensis Amenchlachier canadensis Penstemon digitalis Penstemon digitalis Penstemon digitalisMill.

Cornus amomum Cornus amomum Mill.

Cornus Cornusamomum sericea L. Mill.

Cornussericea sericeaoccidentalis Cornus L.L. Cephalanthus Cephalanthus occidentalis Cephalanthus occidentalis Viburnum dentatum Viburnum dentatum Viburnum dentatum Lindera benxzoin Lindera benxzoin Lindera benxzoin Monarda fistulosa Monarda fistulosa Monarda fistulosa Salix viminalis Salixviminalis viminalis Salix Festuca rubra Festuca rubra Festuca rubra Asclepias incarnata Asclepias incarnata Asclepias incarnata Cornus racemosa Lam. Cornus racemosa Lam. Cornus racemosa Lam. Rhododendron viscosum Rhododendron viscosum Rhododendron viscosum Vaccinium oxycoccos Vaccinium oxycoccos Vaccinium Vacciniumoxycoccos angustifolium Vacciniumangustifolium angustifolium Vaccinium

Soil Type SoilType Type Soil drained/moist/wet drained/moist/wet drained/moist/wet drained/moist/wet drained/moist/wet drained/moist/wet drained/moist/wet drained/moist/wet drained/moist/wet moist/wet moist/wet moist/wet moist/wet moist/wet moist/wet moist moist moist drained/moist/wet drained/moist/wet drained/moist/wet dry/moist dry/moist dry/moist moist/wet moist/wet moist/wet moist/wet moist/wet moist/wet moist/wet moist/wet moist/wet moist/wet moist/wet moist/wet moist/wet moist/wet moist/wet moist/wet moist/wet moist/wet moist/wet moist/wet moist/wet

Light Light Light both both both sun/part shade sun/partshade shade sun/part sun sun sun sun/shade sun/shade sun/shade shade shade shade sun/shade sun/shade sun/shade sun/shade sun/shade sun/shade sun/part shade sun/partshade shade sun/part sun/part shade sun/partshade shade sun/part sun sun sun sun/part shade sun/partshade shade sun/part sun sun shade sun part partshade shade part sun/shade sun/shade sun/shade shade shade shade

Mature Mature Mature Height Height Height 20' 20' 20' 2'-5' 2'-5' 2'-5' 6'-10' 6'-10' 6'-10' 6'-15' 6'-15' 6'-15' 6'-12' 6'-12' 6'-12' 6'-8' 6'-8' 6'-8' 6'-12' 6'-12' 6'-12' 2'-5' 2'-5' 2'-5' 15'-20' 15'-20' 15'-20' 1'-3' 1'-3' 1'-3' 3'-6' 3'-6' 3'-6' 15' 15' 15' 5' 5' 5'1'-2' 1'-2' 1'-2' 6"-2' 6"-2' 6"-2'

Benefits Benefits Benefits W, O, W, O, W, O, O, W O, W O, OW OW OO, O,WW O, W W W W W E, W W O, O,E,W, E,WW O, O, E O,W, W, O, W, O,EEE W,O, O,EE W, O O OO, W, E O,W, W,EE O, O O OO OEO E W, O EE, W,OO E,E,W,

Notes Notes Notes supports native pollintors supportsnative nativepollintors pollintors supports vibrant red stems vibrantred red stems grazing vibrant resistant tostems livestock resistant to livestock grazing resistant to livestock grazing attracts game and songbirds attractsgame gameand andsongbirds songbirds attracts leaves can be into medicianal leavescan canbe beinto intomedicianal medicianal leaves stabalizes stream banks stabalizes streambanks banks stabalizes stream attracts butterflies and hummingbirds attracts butterflies andhummingbirds hummingbirds attracts butterflies and will spread to 12' in width willspread spread 12' width will toto12' ininwidth supports native pollintors supportsnative nativepollintors pollintors supports

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Not for construction. This document is part of a student project and is not based on a legal survey

Light Lightshade Light part partshade shade part sun/part shade sun/part shade sun/part shade sun/shade sun/shade sun/shade sun/part shade sun/partshade shade sun/part sun/shade sun/shade sun/shade sun/shade sun/shade sun/shade sun sun sun

PLANT PALETTE

Soil Type SoilType Type Soil drained drained drained drained/moist drained/moist drained/moist moist moist moist drained/moist drained/moist drained/moist drained/moist drained/moist drained/moist moist/wet moist/wet moist/wet drained/moist/wet drained/moist/wet drained/moist/wet

W. Gregg | S. McCartney | B. Robbins The Conway School Graduate Program in Sustainable Landscape Planning and Design | Conway, MA | Spring 2013

Scientific Name ScientificName Name Scientific Buddleja americana Buddleja americana Buddleja americana Philadelphus coronarius Philadelphus coronarius Philadelphus coronarius Carex gynandra Carex gynandra Carex gynandra Eupatorium dubium Eupatorium dubium Eupatorium dubium Rudbeckia hirta Rudbeckia hirta Rudbeckia hirta Verbena hastata Verbena hastata Verbena hastata novae-angliae Symphyotrichum Symphyotrichum novae-angliae Symphyotrichum novae-angliae

Suitability Study for an Ecological and Agricultural Community The Farm School | Athol, MA

Common Name CommonName Name Common Butterfly Bush Butterfly Bush Butterfly Bush Mock Orange Mock Orange Mock Orange Nodding Sedge Nodding Sedge Nodding Sedge Joe Pye Weed JoePye Pye Weed Joe Weed Black Eyed Susan Black Eyed Susan Black Eyed Susan Blue Vervain Blue Vervain Blue NewVervain England Aster New EnglandAster Aster New England

Bringing People Home

Meadow

Meadow plants should have seasonal interest and provide ecosystem services for wildlife. These plants bloom sequentially and supply nectar to pollinators. The meadow should be mowed once a year or once every other year to keep woody vegetation from growing.

Mature

Wetland

Creating spaces with new vegetation requires special attention to the plant’s site suitability. This matrix outlines site conditions and gives some examples of vegetation that may do well on the site.